Inheritance (23/30)
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Kevin held his glass carefully as he settled onto the couch and into Scotty’s embrace.
“This is a beautiful place,” Scotty commented, tracing his fingers along Kevin’s shoulder.
Kevin nodded slowly. “It is. When I’m partner, I’ll get to use it more. Play your cards right, and I might invite you.”
Scotty smiled. “And I’ll try not to invite your whole family,” he added self-deprecatingly.
“Better not,” Kevin concurred before leaning forward and putting his glass on a coaster on the coffee table.
As he sat back, he twisted, bringing his now-free hand to Scotty’s cheek. He leaned in for a kiss that quickly grew passionate. Scotty moaned, pulling Kevin closer to him as they kissed.
“Hello? Kevin?” Sarah called out above them. They could already hear young feet pounding down the stairs and shouts of excitement from Paige and Cooper.
Kevin backed away. He lifted a thumb, wiping at Scotty’s lower lip while giving him a small smile. Then he stood, turning and hurrying to greet the new arrivals. While Sarah and Kevin talked, Scotty went over to Paige and Cooper, leading them out towards the pool.
***
“So this can be your room,” Kevin said.
He and Scotty were strolling around the house, trying to steal a few moments together away from the others. Scotty nodded, reaching out to the bedroom door and closing and opening it repeatedly.
“Uh…what are you doing?” Kevin asked curiously.
“I’m seeing if it squeaks,” Scotty explained.
“Why?”
Scotty opened the door one final time, walking inside the room. Kevin followed behind him, and Scotty shut the door quickly. He backed Kevin against the door, pressing his own body against Kevin. Grinning, Kevin brought his hands up, resting them lightly on Scotty’s hips.
“For when I sneak out of here and into your room after everyone else is asleep,” Scotty concluded in a whisper, angling his head to nibble Kevin’s ear.
Kevin gave a low chuckle. “You’re planning on doing it with my entire family surrounding us?”
“Depends on how quiet you can be,” Scotty murmured.
Kevin groaned, tilting his hips to increase the friction between him and Scotty. Scotty wrapped his arms tighter around Kevin’s waist and began kissing his neck.
“That depends on what you plan on doing to me,” Kevin finally choked out.
Scotty pulled back, smiling at Kevin in anticipation. “The better question is what don’t I plan to do to you.”
Kevin smirked. “In that case, I’ll probably wake everyone up within a 10-mile radius.”
“Maybe we better wait a little longer then,” Scotty replied, leaning forward to kiss Kevin again.
“Probably.” Kevin sighed, half-resigned and half-incredibly aroused.
Kevin lifted a hand to the back of Scotty’s neck, pulling him closer. Their kiss just started to deepen when a loud crash interrupted them. Kevin pushed Scotty away, tilting his head to listen for more commotion.
“What was that?” he asked fearfully.
“I don’t know,” Scotty said, equally concerned.
Scotty took several steps back, allowing Kevin room to turn and open the bedroom door. Kevin hurried downstairs and into the living room, followed by Scotty.
“What happened?!” he exclaimed.
Scotty stepped around him so he could see what was going on.
“Um…I knocked that fish thing off the shelf,” Justin said.
“What? Justin! Do you have any idea how much that thing costs?”
“I’m sorry!”
“It’s OK; calm down,” Nora said, walking into the room with a broom and dustpan.
“God, I can’t believe this,” Kevin said, holding his hands to his head.
“Relax,” Sarah said. “It’s hardly the worst news you’ll have to give your bosses.”
“What?”
“Sarah,” Tommy warned.
“No, tell him, Tommy.”
“Now is not the time,” Tommy said firmly.
“What are you talking about?” Kevin asked, looking back and forth between them.
Tommy gestured ineffectively. Finally, he said, “Things are really tight right now at Ojai, and we need to cut back. There are…there are cheaper law firms out there.”
Kevin stared at Tommy while everyone else erupted in outrage. Justin finally whistled, cutting through the noise.
“You know what?” Justin interrupted. “As long as we’re all sharing, I didn’t break it. It was Paige and Cooper.”
“Are you serious?!” Sarah asked angrily.
“Yeah, they blackmailed me,” Justin continued. He looked quickly at Tyler. “They heard us talking and found out that - that Tyler’s pregnant.”
Nora turned to Tyler and Justin. “What? Oh my God!”
Tyler shrugged, smiling softly.
“Yeah, so I’ve decided I’m going to quit school. Find a less-demanding and higher-paying - ”
Justin was cut off by everyone, including Tyler, objecting to that plan. Kevin simply stood in the corner, face buried in his palms.
“Everyone, shut up!” he finally yelled.
They all stopped talking immediately, turning to Kevin with sheepish expressions. Kevin shook his head, blinking as he stared up at the ceiling.
“None of you were even supposed to be here this weekend,” he said quietly. “I just wanted a little bit of time with my boyfriend.”
As one, the group stared at Scotty. Some people seemed more shocked than others. Kitty even nodded significantly at Robert. Scotty gave the others an embarrassed smile.
“And now, everything’s all - ” Kevin continued obliviously. “God, Tommy, you knew how important that account was.”
Kevin shook his head, walking quickly out of the room.
***
Scotty left the others to clean up the mess and followed Kevin. He eventually found him walking along the beach. Scotty jogged a couple steps to catch up to him and looped his arm through Kevin’s, grabbing his hand.
“Hey,” Scotty greeted him softly.
“Hi,” Kevin replied. “Sorry.”
“For what?”
“For telling everyone about us.”
Scotty looked at him, perplexed. “I don’t care about that.”
“You don’t?”
“No,” Scotty said, laughing quietly.
“I thought you weren’t ready to tell people.”
“Not because I didn’t want them to know,” Scotty explained. “I was just nervous about what would happen if…if this ended.”
Kevin half-turned, watching him for a few steps.
“You think this is going to end?”
Scotty shrugged. “I’ve never had a relationship that didn’t. Obviously.”
Kevin squeezed Scotty’s hand briefly. “You gotta stop thinking like that, OK? This relationship is the one thing going right for me at the moment, so I need you confident.”
Scotty nodded. “OK.”
“Good. Because, you know…maybe it won't end.”
“I hope it doesn’t,” Scotty said, a smile growing on his face.
“Me too,” Kevin agreed.
They were silent for a few minutes, surf lapping at their feet as they continued to walk hand-in-hand. “I’m worried about you,” Scotty finally said.
“I’ll be fine,” Kevin said shortly.
“Kevin.”
Kevin sighed. “I can’t believe he did this to me,” he admitted quietly. “It’s the family business. My dad’s company, and I - ” Kevin cut himself off, exhaling a shuddering breath.
“Come here,” Scotty said, stopping and turning towards Kevin. He pulled him into a hug, and Kevin wrapped his arms tightly around Scotty.
***
The following morning, Scotty was among the first up. He hadn’t slept well, thinking about Kevin just next door to him, alone and depressed in bed when they were supposed to finally be together. So he ended up climbing out of bed much earlier than he would have liked. He figured he’d relieve a little stress and burn a little energy by making a big breakfast for everyone. It might even smooth some tensions. He wasn’t the only one up though, as Kitty, Robert, Tommy and Julia were already packing up and getting ready to go. Apparently, even more secrets came out while he and Kevin were walking the night before, and Kitty was mad at Sarah about the adoption snafu. Tommy, of course, didn’t feel comfortable staying any longer than he already had. Scotty only had time to say quick goodbyes as they left the house. Scotty sighed and walked into the kitchen.
He had barely started mixing things together for the frittata when Sarah joined him.
“Morning,” she said quietly. “Need any help?”
“I got it,” he replied, as friendly as possible.
“Oh, you made coffee,” Sarah observed gratefully, as she walked over to the pot. “You’re an angel.”
Once she poured her cup, she joined Scotty at the counter. “How’d you sleep?” she asked, clearly feeling awkward.
“Not well,” Scotty told her honestly. He thought about letting her off the hook, but he really wanted an answer. “How could you do this to him, Sarah?”
“It wasn’t me. I fought it. And maybe I should have warned him, I don’t know, but I felt that Tommy owed him an explanation.”
“I don’t understand, though. I know things are stretched tight there, but it’s a family business. I would think family would hold a little more importance than business.”
Sarah shrugged. “It’s not a family business anymore. She made that perfectly clear.”
“She?” Scotty asked, suddenly realizing things were even more complicated than he had thought before. “You mean Holly?”
Sarah paused, also finally making the obvious connection. “Um…yeah. She pushed the idea.”
Scotty inhaled, looking straight ahead. Then he sighed loudly. “Wonderful.”
“There’s no reason for you to feel uncomfortable. You had nothing to do with it.”
“No, I know,” Scotty said, returning to the breakfast he was preparing. “But it does kind of put me in the middle.”
Sarah nodded. “Speaking of which,” she said slowly, “you and Kevin, huh?”
Scotty blushed.
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Kevin held his glass carefully as he settled onto the couch and into Scotty’s embrace.
“This is a beautiful place,” Scotty commented, tracing his fingers along Kevin’s shoulder.
Kevin nodded slowly. “It is. When I’m partner, I’ll get to use it more. Play your cards right, and I might invite you.”
Scotty smiled. “And I’ll try not to invite your whole family,” he added self-deprecatingly.
“Better not,” Kevin concurred before leaning forward and putting his glass on a coaster on the coffee table.
As he sat back, he twisted, bringing his now-free hand to Scotty’s cheek. He leaned in for a kiss that quickly grew passionate. Scotty moaned, pulling Kevin closer to him as they kissed.
“Hello? Kevin?” Sarah called out above them. They could already hear young feet pounding down the stairs and shouts of excitement from Paige and Cooper.
Kevin backed away. He lifted a thumb, wiping at Scotty’s lower lip while giving him a small smile. Then he stood, turning and hurrying to greet the new arrivals. While Sarah and Kevin talked, Scotty went over to Paige and Cooper, leading them out towards the pool.
***
“So this can be your room,” Kevin said.
He and Scotty were strolling around the house, trying to steal a few moments together away from the others. Scotty nodded, reaching out to the bedroom door and closing and opening it repeatedly.
“Uh…what are you doing?” Kevin asked curiously.
“I’m seeing if it squeaks,” Scotty explained.
“Why?”
Scotty opened the door one final time, walking inside the room. Kevin followed behind him, and Scotty shut the door quickly. He backed Kevin against the door, pressing his own body against Kevin. Grinning, Kevin brought his hands up, resting them lightly on Scotty’s hips.
“For when I sneak out of here and into your room after everyone else is asleep,” Scotty concluded in a whisper, angling his head to nibble Kevin’s ear.
Kevin gave a low chuckle. “You’re planning on doing it with my entire family surrounding us?”
“Depends on how quiet you can be,” Scotty murmured.
Kevin groaned, tilting his hips to increase the friction between him and Scotty. Scotty wrapped his arms tighter around Kevin’s waist and began kissing his neck.
“That depends on what you plan on doing to me,” Kevin finally choked out.
Scotty pulled back, smiling at Kevin in anticipation. “The better question is what don’t I plan to do to you.”
Kevin smirked. “In that case, I’ll probably wake everyone up within a 10-mile radius.”
“Maybe we better wait a little longer then,” Scotty replied, leaning forward to kiss Kevin again.
“Probably.” Kevin sighed, half-resigned and half-incredibly aroused.
Kevin lifted a hand to the back of Scotty’s neck, pulling him closer. Their kiss just started to deepen when a loud crash interrupted them. Kevin pushed Scotty away, tilting his head to listen for more commotion.
“What was that?” he asked fearfully.
“I don’t know,” Scotty said, equally concerned.
Scotty took several steps back, allowing Kevin room to turn and open the bedroom door. Kevin hurried downstairs and into the living room, followed by Scotty.
“What happened?!” he exclaimed.
Scotty stepped around him so he could see what was going on.
“Um…I knocked that fish thing off the shelf,” Justin said.
“What? Justin! Do you have any idea how much that thing costs?”
“I’m sorry!”
“It’s OK; calm down,” Nora said, walking into the room with a broom and dustpan.
“God, I can’t believe this,” Kevin said, holding his hands to his head.
“Relax,” Sarah said. “It’s hardly the worst news you’ll have to give your bosses.”
“What?”
“Sarah,” Tommy warned.
“No, tell him, Tommy.”
“Now is not the time,” Tommy said firmly.
“What are you talking about?” Kevin asked, looking back and forth between them.
Tommy gestured ineffectively. Finally, he said, “Things are really tight right now at Ojai, and we need to cut back. There are…there are cheaper law firms out there.”
Kevin stared at Tommy while everyone else erupted in outrage. Justin finally whistled, cutting through the noise.
“You know what?” Justin interrupted. “As long as we’re all sharing, I didn’t break it. It was Paige and Cooper.”
“Are you serious?!” Sarah asked angrily.
“Yeah, they blackmailed me,” Justin continued. He looked quickly at Tyler. “They heard us talking and found out that - that Tyler’s pregnant.”
Nora turned to Tyler and Justin. “What? Oh my God!”
Tyler shrugged, smiling softly.
“Yeah, so I’ve decided I’m going to quit school. Find a less-demanding and higher-paying - ”
Justin was cut off by everyone, including Tyler, objecting to that plan. Kevin simply stood in the corner, face buried in his palms.
“Everyone, shut up!” he finally yelled.
They all stopped talking immediately, turning to Kevin with sheepish expressions. Kevin shook his head, blinking as he stared up at the ceiling.
“None of you were even supposed to be here this weekend,” he said quietly. “I just wanted a little bit of time with my boyfriend.”
As one, the group stared at Scotty. Some people seemed more shocked than others. Kitty even nodded significantly at Robert. Scotty gave the others an embarrassed smile.
“And now, everything’s all - ” Kevin continued obliviously. “God, Tommy, you knew how important that account was.”
Kevin shook his head, walking quickly out of the room.
***
Scotty left the others to clean up the mess and followed Kevin. He eventually found him walking along the beach. Scotty jogged a couple steps to catch up to him and looped his arm through Kevin’s, grabbing his hand.
“Hey,” Scotty greeted him softly.
“Hi,” Kevin replied. “Sorry.”
“For what?”
“For telling everyone about us.”
Scotty looked at him, perplexed. “I don’t care about that.”
“You don’t?”
“No,” Scotty said, laughing quietly.
“I thought you weren’t ready to tell people.”
“Not because I didn’t want them to know,” Scotty explained. “I was just nervous about what would happen if…if this ended.”
Kevin half-turned, watching him for a few steps.
“You think this is going to end?”
Scotty shrugged. “I’ve never had a relationship that didn’t. Obviously.”
Kevin squeezed Scotty’s hand briefly. “You gotta stop thinking like that, OK? This relationship is the one thing going right for me at the moment, so I need you confident.”
Scotty nodded. “OK.”
“Good. Because, you know…maybe it won't end.”
“I hope it doesn’t,” Scotty said, a smile growing on his face.
“Me too,” Kevin agreed.
They were silent for a few minutes, surf lapping at their feet as they continued to walk hand-in-hand. “I’m worried about you,” Scotty finally said.
“I’ll be fine,” Kevin said shortly.
“Kevin.”
Kevin sighed. “I can’t believe he did this to me,” he admitted quietly. “It’s the family business. My dad’s company, and I - ” Kevin cut himself off, exhaling a shuddering breath.
“Come here,” Scotty said, stopping and turning towards Kevin. He pulled him into a hug, and Kevin wrapped his arms tightly around Scotty.
***
The following morning, Scotty was among the first up. He hadn’t slept well, thinking about Kevin just next door to him, alone and depressed in bed when they were supposed to finally be together. So he ended up climbing out of bed much earlier than he would have liked. He figured he’d relieve a little stress and burn a little energy by making a big breakfast for everyone. It might even smooth some tensions. He wasn’t the only one up though, as Kitty, Robert, Tommy and Julia were already packing up and getting ready to go. Apparently, even more secrets came out while he and Kevin were walking the night before, and Kitty was mad at Sarah about the adoption snafu. Tommy, of course, didn’t feel comfortable staying any longer than he already had. Scotty only had time to say quick goodbyes as they left the house. Scotty sighed and walked into the kitchen.
He had barely started mixing things together for the frittata when Sarah joined him.
“Morning,” she said quietly. “Need any help?”
“I got it,” he replied, as friendly as possible.
“Oh, you made coffee,” Sarah observed gratefully, as she walked over to the pot. “You’re an angel.”
Once she poured her cup, she joined Scotty at the counter. “How’d you sleep?” she asked, clearly feeling awkward.
“Not well,” Scotty told her honestly. He thought about letting her off the hook, but he really wanted an answer. “How could you do this to him, Sarah?”
“It wasn’t me. I fought it. And maybe I should have warned him, I don’t know, but I felt that Tommy owed him an explanation.”
“I don’t understand, though. I know things are stretched tight there, but it’s a family business. I would think family would hold a little more importance than business.”
Sarah shrugged. “It’s not a family business anymore. She made that perfectly clear.”
“She?” Scotty asked, suddenly realizing things were even more complicated than he had thought before. “You mean Holly?”
Sarah paused, also finally making the obvious connection. “Um…yeah. She pushed the idea.”
Scotty inhaled, looking straight ahead. Then he sighed loudly. “Wonderful.”
“There’s no reason for you to feel uncomfortable. You had nothing to do with it.”
“No, I know,” Scotty said, returning to the breakfast he was preparing. “But it does kind of put me in the middle.”
Sarah nodded. “Speaking of which,” she said slowly, “you and Kevin, huh?”
Scotty blushed.
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